Baked Rigatoni Sunday Dinner

"Reunion" Dinner

Spanikopita, "Spinach Pie" made with Swiss Chard, so technically "σέσκλουpita".

All the Vermonters, Coloradans, and Utahites made it out West for Trish's wedding, and we were able to get together for a wonderful dish cooked up by MamaR. Here's a Wikipedia entry for Spanikopita.

Roasted Beet Salad

This is one of the best recipes that I've ever invented.

It is really nice to have on a summer evening.

I'm not sure what main course it would pair best with, maybe a white fish fillet, Tilapia?


Roasted beets (1/2 thick pieces)

onion (chopped, big pieces)

garlic (whole or 1/2 cloves)

olive oil

salt & pepper

fresh dill (torn in small pieces)

lime (in wedges)

mild blue cheese (crumbled)

First you have to roast the beets:

-toss them in olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

(more salt can be added after they are roasted)

-chop up some onions and throw in a few garlic cloves.

-roast 'em at 450 for about a 1/2 hour or until they feel tender when you poke a fork in 'em.

-ideally they'll sit for about 20 minutes or so before you start adding the other ingredients. They should be warm, not hot.

Prepare on individual plates so it stays pretty

On a plate:

-lay a pile of the warm roasted beets in the center of the plate

-squeeze a wedge of lime over the beets, scrape out some of the pulp and add that

-sprinkle on a good amount of the fresh dill

-top off with crumbled blue cheese

key factors are enough lime juice and enough salt: experiment!

Salad Innovations

It actually feels like summer in San Francisco today. The heat inspires me to eat light, lots of fruit and veggies. It also inspires me to drink Sangria, but that's another story...

So I threw this salad together with some random veggies that were laying around the kitchen.

I tried a couple of things that I've never done before and they turned out great:

Raw broccoli, chopped up finely, and mixed with the greens.
It gave the mix a nice texture and bite, and made the salad feel heartier.

Seasoned Seeded Tomatoes
I think I've mentioned before that I like to take the seeds out of my tomatoes, I think they taste better that way.
Today I rubbed them with salt and chili powder, it was delicious!





The salad also has walnuts and blue cheese in it. The blue cheese didn't go that well with the seasoned tomatoes, I think I'd leave it out next time, maybe an aged, sharper cheese would go better.

Surf, Turf, and Garden

Grilled pork tenderloin with Arnold's Secret RibRub. I made a perfect summer soup, using my home made yogurt, served chilled for those hot summer days. And of course, Sugar Snap peas, served cold with summer savory and anise. Here is the recipe for the soup:
2 med cukes, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 med yellow peppers, chopped
2 cups 1-inch cubes honeydew melon
1.5 tbls finely chopped shallot
1 fresh jalapeno chili, or to taste, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 tbls fresh lemon or lime juice, or to taste

1/2 lb. lump crab meat
1 tbls ex-virgin olive oil
2 tsp white wine vinegar
3 tbls finely chopped fresh chives

Puree all soup ingredients in blender with salt & pepper to taste. Force soup thru a fine sieve into a bowl and chill, covered, 4 hours or until very cold. Can be made 1 day in advance.
Just before serving, toss crab with oil, vinegar, salt & pepper. Mound equal amounts in center of individual bowls and ladle soup around. Garnish with chopped chives and yellow peppers

Summer Seafood

Take a nice piece of Orange Roughy and some big sea scallops, steam them til just done and serve over a light and velvety coconut/line curry sauce. Served with dilled baby carrots from the garden. Ymmm.

My First Frittata

Potato, swiss chard, spinach, green onion, basil and garlic. Didn't even burn myself flipping the thing.